Pear preparation machine



Feb. 29, 1944.y A. R. THOMPSON PFM4 PREPARATION MACHINE Fileduuly 2z', 1940 5 sheets-snee?, 1

llllllllllllllr ATTORNEY.

Feb 29, 1944' l A. R. THOMPSON 2,343,098

PEAR PREPARATION MACHINE Filed July 22, 1940 s-sneets-sneex 2 f INVENTOR. ALBLRT l?. THOMPJON .BY I.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 29, 1944.

` A. R. THOMPSON PEAR PREPARATIN MACHINE Filed Ju1y '22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 24o( 25/ fea INVENTOR.

l ALBERT l?. THOMPJa/v ahw ATTORNEY.

Feb. 29, 1944. 2,343,098

A. R. THOMPSON PEAR PREPARATION MACHINE Filed July 22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Ausf/2r a. rHoMPso/v ATTORNEY Feb. 29, 1944. A, R, THQMPSQN .2,343,098 l PEARrREPAATIoN MACHINE y med July 22, 1940 v5 sheets-sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

,ALfRr R. 7710/141050 y @M+/0 )QW ,fiTToRNEY Aof the core in a short pear.

Patented Feb. 29, 1944 ,UNITED vSTAT-ES PATENT- ;fofrlcs 'rmnrltnrlatroln eli/moulin11i,k y

to Food Machinery .-.Qorporatiom San Calif., a corporation of Delaware Jose, I

Application July 2,2, 1949, serial No. 246,690-

1 4 claims. (ci. ,14e-'33) .Specically,.it is the object of 'this invention to provide mechanism lfor cutting `the core out `of Aa `pear after it has been split in half and to -utilize this same mechanism to remove the cutout core from .the ypear halves.

-In the drawings: i Fig. 1 is an yassembly view of a pear prepara- .tion machine in which the .invention has been embodied for purposes of disclosure.

l The v iew is a vertical longitudinal section with some of `.the parts in elevation.

Fig. 2 is ,an elevation of the rear end of the machine taken in the direction of the 'arrows ..2-,2 in.Fig. 1, the cover of the transmission case having been removed.

Fig. 3 is .a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through a part of the mechanism employed in the coring operation.

Fig. 4 isa horizontal .section therethrough.

Fig. 5- isa transverse section taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section `taken on the -line 6 6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. I7 is a horizontal section ythrough the coring knife restoring .mechanism- Fig. 8=is 'a vertical. section Vthereof taken fin the `direction of the arrows 8-8`in Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 isa .diagramto illustrate the location Fig. 10 is a side elevation of .the rmechanism ...disclosed in Fig. .8 4taken inthe direction of the .arrows lll-l0.

l ning ofthe coring operation, the splitting blade `and the coring knife being lshown in section.

l Fig. 12 isa diagrammatic fview similar to Fig. 11 illustrating .the position of the Coring knife .l1 andlz illustrating lthe position of the coring knifeand other parts during 'the vfinal 'part :of

the coring operation.

vals

v.and other parts during vthe initial part of` the .50'

coring operation.

Fig.l 13 is adiagrammatic' view similarto Figs. y

Fig. l4 'is .a diagrammatic v iew'similar to Figs. 1'1 to 13 'illustrating the position 'of-v the Aparts Yand especially the coringknife -at the Vconclusion of the coring operation. i

Fig. 15 is aptiming diagram.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged section lof the coring Vknife taken as indicated byA arrows ill-I4 -in Fig. `15.

' f Fig. rthrough vthe coring mechanism.

v,The invention will Abe disclosed Vas embodied in a machine similar tofthat shown in the patents to Thompson et al.,'2 ;139,704, issued December 13, ,1938, and Thompson 2,154,789, issued April 18, 1939, to which-reference is tobe `had. for

` a complete and detailed ydescriptionv'of yan Aentire machineof this type. To 'facilitate an'understanding of the present invention, however, the

` general construction and operation of -the.basic r.nisms and lthose mechanisms which are to vloe found disclosed vin the above-entitled patents. i

Although the construction and operation of thelpearv preparation-machiney as a whole is rather complex, it will simplify an understanding thereof tO'bear in mindY that the two principal-actuating'means are an'intermittently-rotated turret 2o (Fig. 1) and an "intermittently-reciprocated carriage Ml., Theturret 2U lis -keyedto theend of ashaft''l having a bea-ring '22 -in ya'casting 23 4which forms part of the framework of the machine. The shaft 12| extends longitudinally through 'the center of the --machine from -the 'front endtotherear'end. Adjacent thefkrearrend of the 'shaft :2l -a sleeve 4| is rotatably mounted thereon. The sleeve 1H is constantly rotated, and it lhas projectingl-radially from the-front end "thereof a driving pi-n'42, which-causes-the reciprocation of th'e'carriage v4!) uby engagement with a cylindrical cam way 43 'which `is an `'integral part of the carriage lll-and @has fabearingi at its "front endfjon shat-r2=l -and fa v'bearing A5 at vitsrearjend on sleeve4|,-whichbearings-permit -the carriage 4 o'to VAreciprocate' axially .with respect to Yshaft 2| Aandfsleeve l411.5' The'e'arriage isprevented Lfrom rotating with respect? thereto vby l` means oll arpin -46 having-a .roller 41 thereon, "which'enlgages With the l-sidewalls -of .fa-straightl i line `guide 48 secured to v'the l.base offy the imachine. 'The camway- 4'3 has afrestpor'tionQ-fso that kwhen 117 .is a vertical -iongnudinn section' around the axis of the turret, although for pur.

poses of clarity, only two are shown in Fig. 1.

These tubes are equally spaced apart, the stemming tube which appears at 30 in Fig. 41 being the tube which, at the moment, isat the top .of`

the circle, and the stemming tube 3l is the one at the bottom thereof. Each time the turret 20 is rotated one-sixth of a turn, the stemming tubes Ywithdraw the center part of the butt stop so that the pear is free for movement by the turret to the next position.

The skin of the pear is not completely removed by one stroke of the paring knives 50 but by the successive strokes at the different stations. Up-

- on each reciprocation of the carriage 40, all four are moved from one position to the next, so that,

for example, the stemming tube 3i) (Fig. 1) would be moved toward the reader and a similar stemming tube carryingAv another pear would be brought into the same positionnow occupied by the stemming tube 3B. f

Opposite these six rest positions bf thestemming tubes are various instrumentalities mounted in the carriage 40 for performing the diierent operations on the pears, so that upon each reciprocation of the carriage 40, six operations areperformed simultaneously. As shown in Fig. 1, the carriage 40 is reciprocating and has just arrived at the forward end of its stroke. The pear,'which is impaled on the stemming tube 3i) at the top, is about to be subjected' to the final operation of removing the stem, splitting the pear in half, and .then removing the core and calyx. This is the lastoperation of the machine. At thesame time that this is taking place, the pears on the four stemming tubes following the stemming tube 30 I.

are being peeled.

l The stemming tube 3 I, which appears in Fig. l, is the thirdtube following the stemming tube 36, and the pear thereon is about to undergo a peel- .ing operation by two arcuate knives'5flfmounted, Y.

in the ends of a pair of yokes 5I carried b-y two bell cranks 52 which haveA pivots 53 on the front of the carriage 40. In the position shown, the outer ends ofl the bell cranks 52 are being resiliently urged rearward,'so as to cause the knives 5B .to engage the pear. For this purpose there is pivotally connected to each bell crank a pull rod 54 which is operated through a compression spring 55 abutting a plate 5B. 'Ihe plate 56 is knormally urged forward by spring 51 but as shown .in Fig. 1 it has been moved rearward bythe driving pin 42 engaging with auxiliary cam58, which `cam is independent of the cam way 43 and is connected to the plate 56. As the driving pin Y152 continues to rotate from the positionshown in Fig. 1, it will draw the carriage rearwardly and thus cause the 1knives 50Vto `be drawn over the surface of the pear, the knives being held resiliently in engagement therewith by reason of the pin 42 riding on the cam 53 and the plate 5 5 compressing the springs 55.

To prevent the paring knives 5B from drawing the pear off the stemming tube 3l, the butt stop S is employed. The butt stopllis vmade in two parts, consisting of a small center piece and an encircling flange or cup. The latter part is withdrawn from engagement with the butt of the pear after theparing knives 50 have passed over the bell of the pear andk start to descend the butt Ain order to uncover the butt of the pear for peelfing, there being no danger of the knives50 tendsets of paring knives, being mounted for movement with the carriage, execute a reciprocatory stroke, during the return part of which the paring knives are drawn over'the'pears, removing strips of peeling therefrom.

At the final station, which in Fig; 1 is the station opposite which the stemming tube 3U is positioned, the reciprocatory movement of the carriage 441 is utilized to remove the pear fromthe stemming tube, split it in half, and position it for removal of the core and calyx. Forthis purpose, there is rigidly secured to the top of the carriage 40 a cylindrically-shaped vhousing 10 whichcontains mechanism for operating clamps 15. At the end of the forward reciprocatory stroke of the carriage 40 and housing 10, which moves therewith asan integral Vpart thereof, the clamps l5, which are carried by the housing 1U and are controlled in their movement'by mechanism therein, are caused to grasp the pear on the stemming tube 30, as shown in Fig. 1. There are four of these clamps 15, but the two nearest the reader were removed in order to clarify the disclosure in Fig. l. The pear now has passed through the four peeling stations and has had all of its skin removed. The purpose of the clamps 15 is to remove the vpear from the stemming tube upon the rearward-movement of the carriage. When the pear is drawn olf the stemming tube 30 by the clamps 15, the stem of the pear remains within the hollow stemming tube 30, and this stem portion is subsequently ejected from the stemming tube by anl ejector plunger E6 controlled in its operation by a fixed camway 11 upon rotation of the turret lll.V y

In additionvto the clamps 15,*two gauge plates Sii are carried by the housing 10 and are moved forward therewith .in the forward stroke of the carriage 40 and placed against the butt of the pear. Then, upon Vrearward movement of the carriage, the clamps @l5 andthe gauge plates 8U move rearward, holding' the pear in their grasp. As thelpear is carried 4by these ,holding means during the rearward stroke of the carriage 40, it is split in half by a stationary blade lili), which has a V-Shaped cutting edge at its frontend. This knife can be seen in Fig. 17, the cutting edges being indicated at I'IBI. In Fig. 17, the clamps T5 and the gauge plates 8D' are inthe positions they occupy at the end of the rearward 4stroke of the carriage, in which positions they 'the blade H30 vand the mechanismassociated therewith.

`wheel |31, which .is keyed to shaft 2|.

amiante lThe stationary splitting blade is secured at '|02 in a removable sub-frame |03, which is positioned by means of dowels |04 on a part |05 of the framework of the machine. The subframe |03 is held in place by means of the clamping yoke |06, so that when the screw |01 is loosened, the yoke |05, which is pivoted to the frame p art |05, can be swung out of the way to permit removal of the sub-frame |03 and the parts mounted therein. This is to facilitate replacement of knives.

The coring knife |0 is an arcuate blade fo-rmed integrally at the foot of a slender vertical shaft When the shaft is rotated, the arcuate blade H0, vwhich normally lies in the plane of the splitting blade |00, swings around and cuts the core out of the pear halves. At the same 'time another knife ||2 cuts out the calyx. Y The means for operating the coring Aknife and 'the calyx knife will now be described. Thecalyx knife 2 is removably mounted by means of a set screw ||3 in the end of a stub shaft ||4 journalled in the sub-frame |03. The stub shaft ||4 has a tongue-and-groove connection I5 with the shaft I6 journalled in the frame of the machine.

The vertical shaft which rotates the coring knife I0, is secured in a stub shaft |1, which is journalled in the sub-frame |03. A bevel gear H8 is secured to the stub shaft ||1 and is driven by a bevel gear ||9 secured to a stub shaft |20 journalled in the sub-frame |03. The stub shaft has a tongue-and-'groove driving connection |2| with a shaft |22 journalled in the frame of the machine.

The means-for driving the calyx knife drive shaft ||6 and the coring knife drive shaft |22 will now be described by reference to Fig. 1. The shaft |22 is in alignment with the shaft |23 and is connected thereto by means of a pawl and ratchet clutch |25, the function o'f which will be explained later. Shaft |23, which is jourynalled in the frame of the machine, has keyed 'thereto a gear |26, which is driven by a gear |21 having avcommon hub with a pinion |28. The hub of these 'two gears is keyed to the calyX knife drive shaft IIB. I

Referring now to Fig. 2 where these gears may 'be Aseen in elevation, the pinion |28 is driven by -gear 30, which has secured thereto a modified :Geneva wheel |3| having four slots |32 formed therein. Driving pins |33 are adapted to enter the slots |32 and rotate the gear |30. The sides `of each slot |32 are not straight and parallel throughout, but as they approach the periphery of the modified geneva |3|, they communicate -with arcuate surfaces |34 and |35. The modified geneva 3| is rotated in the directio-n of the arrow placed thereon, and the driving pin 33,

'which is shown in Fig. 2 as entering a slot, has

passed freely by arcuate surface |35. -As the driving -pin |33, of which there are six, continues to'rotate clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 2, it will enter the slot |32, causing rotation of the modified geneva |3| and then leave the slot |32, and as soon as it encounters the arcuate surface |34 it will cease to rotate |3|, because arcuate surface |34 vwill then be concentric with lthe axis of rotation of the driving pin |33. This axis is the axis of -shaft 2|, with which shaft the' lwheel |36-, upon which the siX driving pins |33 are mounted, rotates.

The wheel |36 is .secured to the hub of Geneva Geneva :|31has sixslots |38 intofwhichldriving pin |39 on gear |40 enters. Geneva "|31 'is provided with arcuate surfaces |4| with which a ring |42 moves into locking engagement afterthe driving pin |39 leaves a slot I 38. Gear wheel |40 is driven by Ipinion |44 onpower shaft |45. Integrally secured to the gear |40 is a gear |46, which engages with a gear |41 for operating the carriage, which will be explained later. The power shaft |45 is constantly rotated from a source of .po-wer not shown, which is usually a motor mounted directly on the machine. The pinion |44 causes rotation of the gear |40 in the direction of the arrow placed thereon at a constant speed. During each revolution of the gear |40 the machine completes a cycle of operations; that is, the various instrumentalities mounted on ther carriage rand the coring and calyxknives complete their cycle of operation during one revolution of the gear |40.

To facilitate an understanding of the sequence of these various operations, the timing diagram in Fig. 15 illustrates the time and duration of the various operations with respect to rotation of the gear |40. For example, the arrow |50 rep-.-A resents the time of movement of the turret 20, and this movement begins at the top vertical radius |5| in Fig. l5, which may be taken as the zero degree or beginning of the cycle. This position corresponds to the position of the parts shown in Fig. 2, where the driving pin |39 is justV entering slot |38 and starting to rotate geneva |31. It will be recalled that `geneva |31 is keyed to the rear end of the shaft 2 l, and that the turret 20 is keyed to the forward end, so that as the gear |4|'|k rotates from the position shown in Fig. 2, its driving pin |33 Will enter and then leave slot |38, causing the rotation of geneva |31 and a corresponding angular movement of the turret 20; that is, one-sixth of a turn, there being six stemming tubes on the turret. This movement occupies approximately rotation of gear |40 and accordingly, on the timing diagram in Fig. 15, the turret movement indicated by the arrow |50 is shown as ending at |52.

- Itis at this salme point that the carriage starts to move forward, as indicated by the arrow |53. It will be recalled, by reference to Fig. 2, that the gear |46 drives the gear |41. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the gear 41 is keyed to the rear end of the sleeve 4|, which, at its forward end, carries the driving pin 42, which engages in the cam way 43 to cause reciprocation of the carriage 40. This driving pin 42 is therefore constantly-driven in synchronism with the gear |40, and from posi-- tio-n l5! to position |52 in Fig. 15 the driving pin 42 was travelling in the rest portion 49 of the cam way 43 (Fig. 1). At the point |52 (Fig. 15) the pin 42 enters the cam way proper and starts the ,forward reciprocation of the carriage 40. .As shown by the diagram in Fig. 15, the carriage moves forward and then returns, the end of the return movement occurring at |5|. The timing diagram illustrates what `was stated preliminarily, and that is that the turret and carriage movef ments are intermittent and alternate in each cycle of operation.

It will be noted by the position of the arrow |54 (Fig. 15) that the coring takes -place during the. forepart of the turret movement, and while the carriage is at rest. Referring t0 Fig. 2,-it will be noted that the moment the driving pin |30 starts to drive the geneva |31, the driving pin` |33 starts to drive the modified geneva |3|, which, through the train of gearsl |30, |28, |21, 1|26 causes the calyx knife ldrive shaft ||6 and the pockets.

coring knife drive shaft |23 to begin rotating. This instant is on the vertical radial line |I in Fig. 15, so that the arrow-|54 begins at that point. The reason the coring ceases before the turret stops rotating is that when the drive pin |33 in Fig. 2 encounters the arcuate surface |34 of the slot in the modified geneva |3|, the train of gears to the shafts II6 and |23 stops moving, although the driving pin |33 and the geneva |31 continue their movement. Accordingly, the terminal line |55 in Fig. 15, which marks the end of the arrow |54, corresponds to the moment when the drive pin |33, in leaving the slot |32, encounters the arcuate surface |34.

The relative size of the gears |28 and I30 in Fig. 2 is such that for each partial rotation of the modified geneva |3|, `the calyx knife drive shaft II6 performs one complete revolution. The gear I26 is smaller than the gear |21. The relative size of these gears is such that for each complete revolution of the calyx knife drive shaft I IB, the coring knife drive shaft |23 performs one and one-eleventh revolutions, which brings the coring knife I 0 to rest in the position shown in Fig. 14.

The starting position of the coring knife IIO is lshown in Figs. 1l and 11, Where it lies in the plane of the splitting blade |00, so that in Fig. 14 the starting position of the coring knife I I0 would be at the point indicated at 200. From the starting position 200 (see Fig. 11) the coring knife I I0 rotated clockwise one and one-eleventh revolutions and came to rest in the position shown in Fig. 14. When the pear was Withdrawn from the stemming tube by the clamps 15 and gauge plates 80, it was carried rearwardly by the rearward movement of the carriage and was split in half by the splitting knife |00, so that when the coring knife IIO performed its operation it first cut a core half 20| out of pear half 202 and then cut core half 203 out of pearvhalf 204 see Figs. 12 and 13 respectively.

After the coring knife comes to rest in the positon shown in Fig. 14, which occurs at the time indicated by the radial line |55 in Fig. 15, the gauge plates and clamps will move forward, as indicated by the arrows |56 and |51 in Fig, l5, and after a slight forward movement the clamps will also begin to open, as indicated by the arrow |58. The forward movement of the gauge plates ends at the time indicated by the radial line |59,

and the positions occupied by the gauge plates and clamps at this time are indicated in broken lines in Fig. 14, where it will be seen that the 'gauge plates 80 have moved forward and the clamps 15 have moved forward and then outward. This movement of the gauge plates and clamps is utilized to dislodge the core halves. The gauge plates 80, in moving forward, urge the pear halves 202, 204 forward and disengage them from the core halves 20|, 203. This result is made possible by the special action of the coring knife, which will now be described.

If the coring knife |I0 (Fig, 14) had a simple fiat curved blade and was rotated from the point 200 in the plane of the splitting blade |00 through 360 back to the point 200, then when the pear holding means released the pear the core halves would tend -to cling to the pear halves on account of the cohesion between the core and its pocket in the pear.y This would require that the pear halves be subjected to an additional operation to remove the core halves which had clung in their Such an operation would be tedious and expensive. It was to obviate resort to this addi- `tional'operation that I conceived the ideill of utilizing the coring knife itself in conjunction with the gauges to cause separation of the cores and halves at the conclusion of the coring operation. The blade of the coring knife I I0 is constructed as shown in Fig, 16. The cutting edge 296 is given a clearance angle a and a back slope angle The heel 291 is located a distance y from the coring knife axis III, and the cutting edge 296 is located a distance is an acute angle and :c is greater than y.

With this blade construction thev heel has a dragging effect on the core so that in Fig. 12 as the knife finishes cutting the core half 20| from the pear half 202 the heel of the blade in exerting its drag on the core half causes the core half 20| to be turned in its pocket (see Fig. 13). Likewise, when the blade finishes cutting -out the core half 203 (see Fig. 14) ythe heel causes the core half 203 to be turned in its pocket so that the edge 205 of the core half is drawn into or beyond the plane of the splitting blade.

The coring knife is caused to rotate beyond the 360 point 200 (see Fig. 14) and is brought to rest in the position shown where it engages the core half 20|.

Now when the clamps 1.5 move forwardly and open they release their hold upon the pear halves 202, 204 and simultaneously the gauge plates move forwardly. The core half 203 strikes the edge 236 of the splitting blade |00. As can be seen in Fig. 17, this is the front edge of the aperture provided in the splitting blade for the accommodation of the coring knife IIO. The knife itself snares the core half 20| (Fig. 14). The clamps 15 being open, the pear halves 202, 204 are free to open or fall away from the splitting blade and separate from the core halves which are caught on the edge 206 and the knife II0.r

The mechanism for operating the gauge plates 80 and clamps 15 will now be described. One of the functions of the gauge plates 80 is to position the pear with respect to the axis I I I (Figs. 9 and 11) of the coring knife so that upon rotation of the coring knife the core of the pear will be removed. The location of the core in pears varies. For example, in Fig. 9 is shown a short pear 2I0 in which the core 2I| is located relatively` close to the butt end 2 I2, whereas in the long pear 2 I3 shown in Fig. 11, the core 2I4 is located substantially in the center of the bell 2I5. Accordingly, means are provided whereby the gauge plates 80 can be adjusted in order to position the pear so that the axis III of the coring knife will be at the center of the core.

In Fig. 4 it will be noted that the gauge plates 80 are secured to the ends of rods 220. Each of these rods is supported in an aperture 22| in a. plate 222 which constitutes the front end enclo.- sure of the housing 10, which, it will be recalled, is secured to the carriage 40. Each rod is also supported in an aperture 223 in a supporting arm 224 formed as an integral part of a spider 225, which can be seen in end elevation in Fig. 5. The rear ends of the rods 220 are interconnected for movement in unison by means of an inverted U-shaped yoke 230 (Fig. 5), each leg of the yoke having a bearing portion 23| (Fig. 4) at the foot thereof apertured to receive the rod 220. A set screw 232 (Figs. 3 and 6) is threaded into each bearing portion 23| to engage in either the holes 233 or 234 in the rods 220. To adjust the gauge plates 80 for short pears, as in Fig. 9, the set screws 232 are engaged with holes 233; and for long pears, as in Fig. 11, with holes 234. These constitute master adjustments, there being s.

finer adjustment for nner variations of the location of the center of the core inthe pear, as will .be explained presently.

The rods 226 (Fig. 4) are capable of axial shifting with respect to the housing 16. Their forward movement is limited by a means which will now be described. The rear end of each rod 22B is threaded into a sleeve 235 which has a hexagonal head 236 for purposes of adjustment. The sleeve 235 passes through an aperture in the end of the housing 1|] and through an aligned aperture in the plate 231, which is secured to the end Wall of the housing .15. When the gauge plates 86 are freed for forward movement springs 238 cause the rods 220 to slide forwardly with respect to the housing 10, until the hexagonal heads 236 contact the plate 231.

The spider 225 also has a reciprocatory movement with respect to the housing 10. It is jour- .nalled on a sleeve 24D which has a flanged head 24| seated in the front wall 22| of the housing and is threaded through the rear wall of the housing at 242 and secured with a nut 243. The calyx knife drive shaft ||6 passes freely through the sleeve 240. A yspring 244 interposed between the rear wall of the housing and a shoulder on the spider 225 urges the spider forwardly. As shown in Fig. 3, the spider 225 is in its extreme forward position in the housing 15 where it abuts the plate 222. When the housing 10 is moved forward with the carriage, the head of the screw 245, which is threaded into the framework of the machine at 246, engages the end 241 of a latch 250 pivoted at 25| to the spider 225, thus arresting forward movement of the spider. After the spiders forward movement is arrested by the stop 245, the carriage carries the housing onward in its forward movement so that the sleeve 240 slides through the spider 225, compressing the spring 244. Near the end of the forwardmovement of the housing 1l! the head of an adjusting screw 252, which is threaded into a split arm 253 (Fig. 5) of the spider 225 and held in adjusted position therein by the clamping screw 254, en-

gages the top portion 255 (Fig. 3) of the yoke 230,

thereby arresting the forward movement of the 4rods 220 and gauge plates 80, these parts having .been carried forward with the forward movement of the housing 10. Continued forward movement of the housing results. in moving the plate 231 (Fig. 4) away from the heads 236 of the adjusting sleeves 235, so that the parts l nally arrive at the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 4 at the end of the forward stroke of the carriage.

The spider is latched in this position by means rof the shoulder 256 (Fig. 3) on latch 250, en-` i turn stroke of the carriage as the pear is carried back to the position in which the core will be removed, which position is the position illustrated in Fig. 17 where the carriage 'has arrived at the rear end of its stroke, and where it remains at rest while the coring knift I I0 and the calyx knifek I I2 perform their operations.

The screw 2 52 (Fig. 3) constitutes the fine adjustment of thegauge plates 86.

In practiceV the screws 232 are used for the master settings of the gauge plates, depending on the general, type of pear being handled', and then to meet the vare iations in location of the core center in any particular lot of pears the screw 252 is employed to obtain an accurate adjustment of the gauge plates 86 so that the axis of the coring knife will be located at the center of the core.

The coring operation takes place while the carriage 45 (Fig. 1) is at the rear end of its stroke, so that theend 260 of the latch 256 is at this time positioned in the path of a rotating cam 258. At the end of the rotation of the calyx knife drive shaft H6, the cam 258, which is secured for rotation with the shaft I I6, engages the end 256 of the latch 250, lifting the latch to disengage the shoulder 256 (Fig. 3) from the plate 231., thus freeing the spider 225.

The spider 225 is not, however, allowed to spring forward under the influence of spring 244. Its forward movement is controlled by means of a cam way 26| indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, which is secured4 to the bottom of the spider 225, as shown in Fig. 5. At the moment the cam 258 (Fig. l) releases the latch 256, the driving pin.42 is at top dead center and. at` the entrance of the cam way 26|,` soy that as the driving pin 42, which is constantly rotating, passes out of top dead center, it` controls the forward movement of the spider 225 by its engagementwith the cam way 26|.

Thev arms of the clamps 15 are pivotally se.- cured to the spider 225. The connections of. the four clamp arms to the spider can be seen in Fig. 5. One of these clamp arms is indicated at 262, where it is. received ina pair of ears 263 formed on the spider 225 and pivoted therein `by means of a screw 264. The side elevation of one of these mountings appears in Fig. 6. Because of this construction the reciprocatory movement of the clamps corresponds tothe reciprocatory movement of the spider 225. Howeveigjin addition to reciprocating, the clamps open and close lin order to. grasp andrelease ,the pears. The opening and closing of the clamps is eected by the structure shown in Fig. 6, where it will be seen that a ledge '265.is. provided on the housing end, plate 222 with which, an inclined surface 266 of the clamp. arm is adapted to contact. As shown in. Fig. 6, the clamp is closed and in engagement with the pear, so that there is a space interveningv the ledge 265 and the inclined surface 266. Vv'henv the spider is unlatched atthe end of the coring operation, it moves forward in the housing 10, causing the clamps to be moved forward until the inclined edge 266 of each clamp arm engages the ledge 265. Thereafter, forward movement of the spider 225 results in a camming action between the inclined edge 266and the ledge 265, whichv causes the clamps to open, the clamp arms swinging outwardly from the pear. It wiIl be recalled that the forward movement of the spider 225`is positively controlled bythe driving pin` 42v engaging in the, camway 26| attached to the spider, so that as the spider 225 is moved forwardly in the housing 10, the outer side 261 of the inclined portionof the clamp arm forces a plunger 2653 rearwardly lagainst the. action of its spring 269. The plunger 268 Ais slidably mounted in an aperture 21D provided therefor in the housing 10.

When the carriage arrives near the forward end of its stroke, the. clamps are fully opened in order to pass over the pear which is., on the stemming tube... It is at this time that the stop 245 (Fig. 3) arrests the spider 225, so that as the housing continues its forward movement to the end of the stroke the plungers 2684 (Fig. 6) are resiliently urged against the inclined surfaces 261 of the clamp arms in order to resiliently press the clamps into engagement with the pear. As soon as each clamp comes to rest on the pear surface the closure of the clamp ceases, because, as shown in Fig. 6, continued forward movement of the housing 10 merely results in opening the gap between the inclined surface 266 and the ledge 265. The pressure angle between the plunger 268 and the inclined surface 261 is such that the plunger 268 will resist any outward movement of the clamp arm which would tend to cause the clamp to lose its grip on the pear, and this arrangement serves to resiliently bring the clamps into engagement with the pear and then lock them against opening-from this position. When the clamps are finally opened at the end of the coring operation, the plungers 268 are forced back by the positive camming action of the inclined surface 266 on the ledge 265 when the Ispider 225 is positively moved forward.

The timing of the operation of the gauges and ,clamps will now be described with the aid of the Ydiagram in Fig. 15, wherein it will be recalled Athat the end of the coring operation occurred at .the time indicated by radial line 55. This is also the time at which the calyx knife drive shaft I I6 ,(Fig. 1) completes its revolution and the cam 258 lifts the end 260 of the latch 250, releasing the spider 225, which is then moved forward by engagement of the pin 42 with the cam way 26|.

'I'his causes the gauges to move forward, as in- .dicated by the arrow |51 (Fig. 15) and also causes the clamps to move forward, as indicated by the a'rrow |60.

At the time indicated by the radial line IBI, the clamps begin to open, and this is the instant when the inclined edge 266 (Fig. 6) comes into contact with the ledge 265, the time from radial line |55 to radial line |6| in Fig. 15 being the time 'required for the spider 225 (Fig. 6) to move for-- wardly a distance sufficient to close the gap between the clamp arm and the ledge. The gauges move forward as indicated by the arrow |51, at the same time that the clamps move forward, be- `cause the yoke 230 (Fig. l) which connects the gauge rods 220. was in engagement with the advjusting screw 252 on the spider 225. Therefore, Vthe gaugepla-tes 80 move forward with the clamps v'l5 until the heads 236 contact the plate 231. This is the instant when the forward movement of the gauge plates is arrested and isv indicated by the radial line |59 in Fig. 15. After the gauge plates .are arrested the clamps continue their forward movement, as indicated by the arrow |60, and continue opening, as indicated by the arrow |58. rIhese timed .operations produce the result illustrated in Fig. 14, where the gauge plates move forwardly from their full line positions to their broken line positions, and at the same time the clamps move forwardly from their full line positions and then forwardly and outwardly to their broken line positions, so that the clamps release the pear halves 202, 204 and the gauge plates push l the pear halves forwardly to disengage them from the core halves 20|, 203.

In order to further disengage the pear halves, a stripper comes into action, as indicated by the arrow |63 in Fig. l5. The stripper consists of a pair ofplates, one of which is shown at 280 in Fig. 1'1, one of these stripper plates being disposed on either side of the splitting blade |00.

They are pivoted at 28| in the sub-frame |03 and are normally held in the position shown by means of a spring 282. At the time indicated by the arrow |63 (Fig. 15) the stripper plates 280 are swung downwardly to assist in removing the pear halves from the splitting blade |00.

The pear halves drop into a trough 283 (Fig. l) from which they are discharged by an ejector 284. The stripper plates 280 are in the form of bell cranks, the upstanding arms of which have a pin-and-slot connection 285 with bell cranks 286 pivoted at 281 to the sub-frame |03. The bell cranks 286 carry jaws 288 with which engages a head 289 on the endof a rod 290, the rear end of which is pivotally connected at 29| with a lever 292 pivotally supported in a bracket 293 (Fig. 5) which is secured to the housing 10. The lower end of the lever 292 is disposed in the path of the pin 295 secured to the spider 22 5. The position of the pin 295 is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, and its location is such that as the spider 225 approaches the forward end of its movement in the housing 10, it oscillates the lever 292 counterclockwise (Fig. 1) thus drawing the rod 290 rearwardly. In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1, this does not result in actuationof the strippermechanism, because the carriage 40, being at the forward end of its stroke, the head 289 is not disposed within the jaws 288. However, when the 'carriage 40 is at the rear end of its stroke, the head 289 is then in cooperative relation with the jaws, as shown in Fig. 11, at which time operation of this linkage does result in deflecting the stripper plates 280 downwardly.

After the pear halves have been removed, it is necessary to restore the coring knife ||0 to its position in the plane of splitting blade |00 in readiness for the next operation, and the mechanism by which this liseflected will now be described. It will be recalled that the coring knife drive shaft |22 (Fig. 1) was connected to the shaft |23 through a clutch |25. This clutch is shown in detail in Figs. '1 and 8. The clutch housing 300 is connected by a key 30| and a set screw 302 to the end of the coring knife drive shaft |22, and for purposes of assembly it has secured thereto a member 303 which, in effect, forms an integral part of the housing 300. It is positioned thereon by means of an annular tongue-and-groove 304 and removably secured thereto by screws 305. The member 303 is provided with a bearing surface 306 on the hub of a ratchet wheel 301 connected by a key 308 to the shaft |23.

Slidably mounted in a slot 3|0 formed in the housing 300 is a pawl made in two parts 3| 3|2 having a spring 3|3 interposed between them to normally urge them apart. The part 3| I, being urged outwardly in the slot 3|0 by the spring 3|3, is limited in its outward movement by engagement of a shoulder 3|4 .thereon with the end of shaft |22, and its movement in the opposite direction, that is, inwardly with respect to the slot 3| 0, is limited by a shoulder 3|5, which also engages the end of shaft |22. The part 3|2 has formed integrally therewith the tooth 3|6, which the spring 3|3 urges into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet, as can be seen in Fig. 8.

Normally, the shafts |22, |23 are connected together in driving relationship by reason of the fact that the spring 3|3 maintains the shoulder 3|4 of part 3|| against the end of shaft |22 and also maintains the tooth 3|6 in engagement in Fig. 3.

`scope of the appended claims.

'position indicated at 3H in Fig. 8. When the shaft |23 is rotated it causes rotation ofthe shaft |22, byreason of the engagement ofthe tooth 3|6 in the ratchet 3D1, for one and oneeleventh revolutions in the direction of the arrow 3|8 (Fig. 8)- sor that when the coring knife has finished its operation and comes to restr in the position shown in Fig. 14, the pawl 3| l, 3'i2 is in the full line position indicated in Fig'. 3. It is now necessary to disengage the pawl from the ratchet and restore it to its starting position at 3-|'|.

This is effected by means of a- Vf-shapedmeinber 32o,whiehis'we1ded to the plate 231', which, it will be recalled,4 is' secured to the rear end-of the housing 10. This inernlierI 3-20 has two vertically extending cam arms 32|, 322. The arm 32| has formedv integrally therewith a horizontally disposed cam piece 323 (Fig. 7), the nose 324 of which strikesthe inclined surface of the end of pawl part 3|2, camming it inwardly-,as the carriage moves forwardly, the carriage moving in a direction parallel to the axis ofthe 4shafts |22, |23. When the part 3|2- isl cammed inwardly, the tooth 3|6 is withdrawn from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 3M.

`During the continued forward movement of the :arriage the side 325 of the cam holds the tooth ,of arrow 321. As soon as the tooth 3|6 has been moved over the vtop ci the adjacent tooth of the ratchet 301, the spring 3l3 tends to draw it into the next tooth space, so that the cam 326 servesl to rotate the pawl far enough to get it started into the next tooth space. When the cam 325l rotates the pawl italso rotates the clutch housing and therefore causes a oneeleventh rotation of the coring knife drive shaft |22, thus restoring the coring knife HS to its starting position.

When the carriage returns, the cam 326 clears clears the pawl part 3|I which is in position 3|-| (Fig. 8) and the cam 323 clears the pawll part 3|2. When the carriage arrives at itsv rearward position the cams are behind the clutch as shown 3|2 urged apart by the spring 3|"3 as a safety measure to prevent breakage of the clutch parts if the machine should be accidentally operated lwith the coring knife drive shaft out of time.

made in the Adetails thereof without departing from the spiritof the present invention andl the Having thus described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect vby Letters Patent is: f

l. In a pear preparation `machine having means for splitting the pear in half, a coring knife, and means lfor holding a split pear in position ,with respect to said coring knife so Athat upon'a'ctuation thereof thecore will be` out out .ofthe pear Aby said knife: =an actuator for said knife adapted The pawl is made in two parts 3H,

tol leave said knife in` engagement with the core after the cut, and a mechanism to release` said holding means, the time of operation of -said mechanism being controlled by said actuator so that the pear is released while the knife is in engagement with the core.

2; In a pear preparation machine having means for splitting the pear in half, a coring knife, and means' for holding the splitv pear in position with respect to said coring knife so that upon actuation thereof from a starting position theA core will. be cut out of the pear: a main power train which is constantly driven, an auxiliary train which is intermittently driven, a drive for said knife operated from said auxiliary train, said drive setting said` knife iny engagement with the core when said auxiliary train comes to a stop, andi cam means actuated byI saidl main train operable uponI said drive to withdraw saidzknife from core-engaging position and return it to starting position.

3. In a pear preparation machine havingmeans forsplitting the pear in half,` a coring knife, and means for holding thesplit pear in position with respect to said coringknife so that upon actuation thereof the core will be cut out ofthe pear by said knife: a source of power, driving,l mechanism for actuating said knife, said driving mechanism being intermittently driven from said source of power, said driving mechanism including a clutch, said driving mechanism bringing said knife to rest in engagement with the cutout core', a release for said holdingv means operated by said driving mechanism, when said knife is brought to rest, a second mechanisni` driven from said source of power in timed relation with said driving mechanism and operated during the rest period thereof to release said clutch and withdraw said coring knife from engagement with the core, i i

a. In a pear preparation machine having an intermittently-reciprocated carriage,` means for splitting the pear in half, a coring knife, and means holding the split pear: va reversible shaft for actuating said knife, a driving mechanism operable during the rest period of said intermittently-reciprooated carriage,A a clutch to connect said driving mechanism with said shaft, a spring-pressed gaugeplate constituting an element of said pear holding means, a. latch to retain said gauge plate so as to position/the pear half with respect to said coring knife so that upon actuation, thereof the core will be cutout of the pear by said knife, said coring knifebeing operably connected tov said shaftr so that when said shaft comes to rest said coring knife is in engagement with the cut-out core, a camv drivenV by said driving mechanism and operable to release said latch as said shaft cornes to rest, and cam means on said carriage to disengage said clutch and rotate said shaft ,reversely to withdraw said knife from the core. v

5. In a pear preparation, machine, havingj'a vsplitting blade, a rotary coi-ing knife normally disposed the plane of said bladeand reciproeating pear holding means adapted to drawr the pear onto said blade and present the split pear to said coring knifeza drive shaft for said coring knife, a second shaft aligned therewith, a ratchet wheel on said second shaft, a pawl mounted for rotation 'withsaid drive shaft and for engagement with said ratchet, cam means mounted for reciprocation withsaid pear holding means and adapted to cooperate with said pawL'the initial position of said pawl' corresponding to said normalposition of said knife, the rotation of said second shaft serving to rotate said pawl from -said initial position around to said initial position and then a fraction of a revolution beyond to its final position, said pawl in its nal position being then disposed in cooperative relation ywith said cam means, said cam means serving to disengage said pawl from said ratchet and rotate said pawl to the initial position thereof.

6. In a pear preparation machine having a blade for splitting the pear in half, a eoring knife associated with said blade and normally disposed in eoplanar relation thereto, and means for holding the two halves of a split pear on opposite sides cf said blades in coring position with `release said pear halves and means for returning said coring knife into co-planar relation with said blade after said pear halves are released.

7. In a pear preparation machine, a splitting blade, an arcuately formed rotary coring knife associated with said splitting blade and having a cutting edge and a heel portion, means mounting said coring knife for rotation about an axis `lying in the plane of said splitting blade, pear `holding means adapted to draw a pear onto said splitting blade to split the pear into halves and f then position said halves on opposite sides of said knife for coring thereby, means for rotating said coring knife from a normal position in the plane of said splitting blade through an arc in excess of 360 to cause said knife to pass entirely around and sever the core portion in each of said halves and come to rest at an angle to `I the plane of said splitting blade whereby upon release of the pear halves from said splitting blade the severed core portion in one of said halves is snared by said knife, said coring knife being formed with its cutting edge at a greater distance from the axis of rotation of the knife than its heel portion whereby the latter exerts a drag on said core portions to cause them to turn with respect to the bodies of said pear halves when the knife edge emerges from the pear half upon severing the core portions therefrom and to enable the splitting blade to snare the severed core portionin the other of said halves when the latter is released from said splitting blade, andV means for actuating said pear holding means to release said pear halves.

` 8. In a pear preparation machine, an apertured splitting blade, an arcuately formed rotary coring knife mounted for operation in the aperture of said splitting blade, the axis of rotation of said coring knife being disposed in the plane of said splitting blade, pear holding means adapted to draw a pear rearwardly onto said. splitting blade to split the pear into halves and to hold saidhalves on the splitting blade in position for coring, means operable after said coring knife has rotated to move the pear halves forwardly and to actuate the holding means to release the pear halves, and means normally positioning the blade of said coring knife in the plane of said splitting blades adjacent the forward edge of the aperture therein and operative j to rotate said coring knife to sever the core portions from said pear halves and bring the knife to rest in position adjacent the forward edge of said aperture but at an angle to the plane of said splitting blade whereby upon forward movement of said pear half the coring knife will snare the core portion in one of said halves.

9. In a pear preparation machine, an apertured splitting blade, an arcuately formed rotary coring knife mounted for operation in the aperture of said splitting blade, said coring knife being angularly disposed to the path of its travel With the axis of rotation of thefcoring knife disposed inthe plane of said splitting blade, pear holding means adapted to draw the pear rearwardly onto said splitting blade to split the pear into halves and to hold said halves on the splitting blade in position for coring, means operable after said coring knife has rotated to move the pear halves forwardly and to actuate the holding means to release the pear halves, and means normally positioning the blade of said ccring knife in the plane of said splitting blade adjacent the forward edge of the aperture therein and operative to rotate said coring knife to sever` the core portions from said pear halves, the angular position of the coring knife being such as to exert a dragging effect upon the core portions to turn the same whereby upon forward movement of said pear halves the splitting knife will snare the core portions in one of said halves.

10. In a pear preparation machine having a splitting blade, an arcuate coring knife normally positioned in the plane of said splitting blade,

yand a reciprocating pear-holding means adapted to draw the pear onto said splitting blade to cut the pear in half and to position the halves of the split pear with respect to said coring knife so that upon rotation of said lknife the core portions will be cut out of the pear halves: an intermittently-operated drive mechanism adapted to rotate said coring knife when thepear has been positioned for.corecutting by said holding means and to bring said knife to rest outside the plane of said splitting bladeto snare the core portion in one of said halves when said pear halves are' released by said holding means, and means for returning said coringv knife to coplanar relation with said blade after said pear halves are released.

11. Inv a pear preparation machine, means for holding a split pear including a member having a flat portion for contacting the cut faces of the pear halves, a rotary coring knife having an varcuate blade formed with a cutting edge and a heel portion normally positioned in the plane of said member, means for rotating saidknife such that its cutting edge passes entirely around the core portions of said pear halves and comes to restfat an angle to the plane of said member, said cutting edge of said knife blade being farther from the axis of rotation of said knife than said heel portion thereof whereby the latter exerts a drag on the core portions causing them to turn relative to their respective pear halves when the knife rotates to its rest position following conipletion of the core cutting, to thereby facilitate vsubsequent separation of the core portions from the pearhalves. and means for restoring said knife to its normal position following removal of the core portions from the pear halves.

,12, In' a pear preparation machine, a splitting blade, an arcuately formed rotary coring knife associated with said splitting blade and having a cutting edge and a heel portion, means mounting said coring knife for rotation about an axis lying in the plane of said splitting blade, pear holding means adapted to draw'a pear onto saidA splitting blade to split the pear into halves and then position said halves on opposite sides of said knife for coring thereby, and means for rotating said coring knife to cause said knife to pass entirely around the core portion in each of said halves and emerge from the cut faces of said halves whereby to sever the core portion therefrom, said coring knife being formed with its cutting edge at a greater distance from the axis of rotation of the knife than its heel portion whereby the latter exerts a drag on said core portions to cause them to turn with respect to the bodies of said pear halves when the knife edge emerges from the pear halves upon severing the core portion therefrom.

13. In a pear preparation machine, an apertured splitting blade, an arcuately formed rotary coring knife mounted for operation in the aperture of said splitting blade,` the axis of rotation of said coring knife being disposed in the plane of said splitting blade, pear holding means adapted to draw a pear rearwardly onto said splitting blade to split the pear into halves and hold said halves on the splitting blade in position for coring, said holding means comprising a gauge to Contact the butt of the pear and clamps to contact the sides of the pear, means operable after said coring knife has rotated, to move said gauge forwardly and to actuate said clamps to release the pear, and means normally positioning the blade of said coring knife in the plane of said Vsplitting blade adjacent the forward edge of the aperture therein and operated to rotate said coring knife to sever the core portion from said pear halves and bring the knife to rest in position adjacent the forward edge of said aperture but at an angle to the plane of said splitting blade whereby upon forward movement of said gauge the coring knife will snare the core portion in one of said pear halves.

14. In a pear preparation machine having means for splitting the pear in half, a coring knife, and means for holding the halves of the split pear in position with respect to said coring knife so that upon actuation thereof the core portion will be cut out of the pear halves: a shaft which controls the actuation of said knife, an intermittent one way drive to rotate said shaft from a starting position, which corresponds to the position of said knife at the start of the corecutting operation, to a stopping position, which corresponds to a position of said knife after it has rotated in excess of 360 degrees into engagement with one of the cut-out core portions, and a restoring mechanism operated during the rest period of said intermittent drive to reversely r0.- tate said shaft from its stopping position back to its starting position.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

